I agree about Nik Sharpener Pro. It's the most "no fuss, no muss" sharpening approach out there. Even if better results are obtainable with PhotoKit or Focal Blade, there's too much fuss factor with them.
Another product I like along the same line is Grain Surgery. It doesn't do as good a job as Noise Ninja or Neat Image, but is faster and also less fussy to use.
Tom C wrote:
Call me a whimp, a whiner, and a slacker. I simply haven't had the time to learn or become proficient at certain (many/most) tasks in Photoshop. I would rather be taking photographs than spending hours at trial and error manipulation.
I downloaded the demo of nik Sharpener Pro (recommended on Luminous Landscape)... a supposedly intelligent sharpener plug-in for Photoshop. I was quite impressed and purchased it. I suspect it will save a lot of time and it has 'protections' against oversharpening. Also included are sharpening routines for web vs. printer output.
I had one image that I've messed with for thirty minutes or more, never being happy with the results. On the first try with nik Sharpener Pro I got an image I was happy with. I haven't tried the printer output sharpening routines yet.
I also recently purchased a Digital Velvia plug in which automates saturation adjustments, allowing images to be saturated/desaturated quickly at selectable levels. Fairly impressed with it as well.
